Not Applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shelving, and in particular to foldable shelving which is primarily used for display or storage, for example in a retail store.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Shelf units made from corrugated paperboard or plastic material are known and have been made in various forms. Such units either have fixed shelves, meaning that the distance between shelves is not adjustable, or shelves in which the distance between them is adjustable. However, when the shelves are adjustable, a third piece, apart from the shelf and shelf support, was often required to connect the shelf to the shelf support in an adjustable manner.
The present invention is aimed at providing an adjustable shelf unit adapted to be made of corrugated paperboard and in which the shelves are easily assembled to the shelf support and adjusted relative thereto, without any additional pieces connecting the shelves to the shelf support.
The present invention provides a shelving unit having a shelf support and a shelf that can be easily attached, adjusted and removed without additional connecting pieces.
Specifically, the shelf support has parallel edge walls extending from lateral edges of a back panel to a front edge. Each edge wall has a plurality of notches spaced apart along the front edge that are aligned laterally with the notches in the other edge wall. The shelf has side walls outside the edge walls joined along a bottom edge by a bottom panel. The bottom panel has slots adjacent the side walls that extend forward from a back edge less than the distance of the edge walls. The slots receive the edge walls such that a portion of the bottom panel fits within a row of notches in the edge walls. The side walls are also joined at an upper back side by a back cross-member outside the back panel. The back cross-member and the bottom panel define a lateral opening therebetween sized to receive the shelf support when the edge walls are disposed within the slots in the shelf bottom. Pulling the shelf from the front side away from the shelf support and pivoting the shelf upwardly releases the bottom panel from the notches so that the shelf may be removed from the shelf support or adjusted to a different height.
In addition to, or instead of, the notches in the edge walls, the back panel of the shelf support may include a column of slots longitudinally spaced apart and laterally aligned with the notches in the edge walls. In this case, the shelf can include a tab projecting back from the rear edge of the bottom panel that fits within a slot in the shelf support. The shelf support back panel can include a plurality of such columns of slots laterally aligned with the notches of the shelf support and the shelf can include a plurality of tabs aligned with the columns of slots.
The shelf and shelf support are each preferably constructed by folding respective shelf and shelf support blanks. The blanks are pre-cut and scored or perforated to make the folding process simple and efficient. The blanks are designed to form double or triple plies where needed for added structural support, so that the shelving unit can support more and heavier articles.
The shelf support back panel also may include at least one hanger opening for hanging the shelving unit. The opening can be a single hinged cut-out at the lateral center of the shelf support. A grip cut-out can also be positioned adjacent the hinged cut-out for opening the hinged cut-out.
Thus, the present invention provides a low-cost, sturdy shelving unit having shelves that can be connected and disconnected to the shelf support without the need for separate connectors or fasteners. The adjustable shelving unit can be constructed by folding flat blanks, preferably made of corrugated paperboard, so that numerous units can be compactly shipped prior to assembly. The shelving unit can be easily assembled by folding the pre-cut blanks at perforated or scored fold lines.
The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In this description reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which there is shown by way of illustration preferred embodiments of the invention. These embodiments do not represent the full scope of the invention. Thus, the claims should be looked to in order to judge the scope of the invention.